Also 5–6 corke, 6 corck, 7 korck. [app. a contraction of CORKIR, a. Gaelic and Ir. corcur, orig. ‘purple,’ hence, the lichen yielding a purple dye. Corcur was ad. L. purpur, with Goidelic change of p to c, as in L. planta, Ir. cland, clann, L. pascha, Gaelic casga, caisg.]
A purple or red dye-stuff obtained from certain lichens growing on rocks in Scotland and the north of England: = CUDBEAR.
Lightfoot, Flora Scotica (1789), 818, has Lichen omphalodes as ‘Dark purple Dyer’s Lichen; Cork or Arcell. Crotal of the Gaels,’ and L. tartareus (now Lecanora tartarea) as ‘Large yellow-saucer’d Dyer’s Lichen: Corcar of the Gaels.’ Both of these produce cudbear. ‘Cork’ has also been more or less identified with ARCHIL or Orchil, a foreign dye-stuff of similar origin; see quot. 1483. (See Paper by Dr. J. Hammond Trumbull, in Proc. Amer. Philol. Assoc. (1877), 19.)
1483. Act 1 Rich. III., c. 8 § 3. Diers … usen to dye … Clothes with Orchell and Corke brought from beyonde the See called Jare cork.
c. 1485. Crafte of lymnynge, in E. E. Misc. (Warton Soc.), 90. Whenne hit is alle-moste at boylynge, caste in ȝour corke.
1532–3. Act 24 Hen. VIII., c. 2. Good and sufficient corke or orchall.
1551. Turner, Herbal, I. P j b. This is called in London archall and the dyers vse it to dy withall. The Northenmen about blakamore where as it groweth calleth it cork, it groweth ther like a mos vpon stones.
1634. Peacham, Gentl. Exerc., I. xxiii. 79. The principall blewes … in use are, Blew Bice. Smalt … Korck or Orchall.
1758. Phil. Trans., L. 677. The cork or arcel, which is used by the Scotch … to dye a purple or scarlet colour.
1884. Miller, Plant-n., Cork, Lecanora tartarea and Roccella tinctoria.
